Monday, May 10, 2010

Frank Frazetta Passes Away

Mr. Frazetta's work is instantly recognizable, whether it be barbarians, beasts, or spacemen. "Death Dealer" is just one such work. He painted book covers for such Edgar Rice Burroughs works as Tarzan and the John Carter of Mars series. He also did work for the influential and beloved magazines Creepy and Eerie in the 1960s and 70s; his work was also featured in comic books, posters and album covers. In 1983, he teamed with famed animation director Ralph Bakshi for the feature film Fire and Ice, which became a cult classic and was finally released on DVD in 2005.

Mr. Frazetta was one of the last of the classic painters and illustrators - no Photoshop used on his work. Even though Fire and Ice didn't set the box office ablaze, I hope today's filmmakers and studios continue to look at his work for inspiration. And with today's CGI technology it would be possible to make an animated movie in Mr. Frazetta's distinctive style and color palette.